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Tuesday, 29 September 2015

A few weeks ago I wrote a review of a gaming mat for Malifaux from playmats.eu for Malifaux. I've really enjoyed using it so I was more than happy when I got a chance to review a new one. Desert-themed mat is the latest product from the "deployment zones" series. The pictures were taking during a day when the weather was very changeable with different lighting conditions each time so some colors may look brighter in one picture and darker in another.

As yo can see in the pictures above, the coloring is bright and vivid. I really like the fact that the print is diversified. Different shades of yellow and brown are used to great effect. There are also some small rocks. All of these creates a very realistic look.

This time round I received a vinyl version of the mat. I have to admit I was a bit concerned as I thought the quality of material would not be good enough. My doubts were proven unfounded. The PVC material has a solid feel to it and unfolds on the table easily. Also, all the corners lie flat. Just like the previous mat, it's also resistant to liquids and scratches. The vinyl version is thinner than the foam one but it's also lighter. Mats are sent in cardboard tubes, so they already come with a perfect storage option.

I devoted some space to explaining how useful deployment zones are in Malifaux in my previous review. These are added here as well. However, the design is completely different. The lines are printed in brighter shades than the colors of the mat. They're easily to notice when you look more carefully but do not detract in the slightest from the print on the surface of the mat. Actually, if you look closely they seem like lines drawn in sand (which fits perfectly fluff-wise). The circle in the middle seems to stand in a bit too much of a contrast to the rest as there are some bright parts that go along its edges. However, this works really well in game, as this ares can often be the most important section of the board and having this part clearly marked can be very helpful.

Overall, I really like the new mat. It shows that guys from playmats.eu are not resting on their laurels and continue great work with a new products that adds more diversity to their Malifaux mats range. I can highly recommend the Desert one and I look forward to seeing more!

p.s. one more thing - the price. The vinyl version is a budget solution as it costs only 20 EUR, making the price-quality ratio exceptionally good

Wednesday, 23 September 2015

I still haven't caught up with my works from last summer on the blog. I was working mainly with Neverborn so I'll try to show them all here soon. I'll start with Stitched Together. I got these minis on eBay a while ago and they cost me an arm and a leg. Wyrd hasn't released all the minis from Book 1 and 2 in plastic yet and it created a market for some models. Stitched Together, a solid mminiondel that fits in many Neverborn crews, definitely belongs there.

The paintjob was pretty straightforward. I painted them using mainly warm, brown colors as I wanted some contrast with purple carpets on the bases. I also used some blood effect for their hooks.

I will be using them mainly in my Dreamer crew as they can be summoned by him. They're rather slow and have low Ml but they can cause trouble anyway. Their main use comes from a Ca action called Gamble your life. It's a Ca vs Df duel and the loser gets 3/4/7 damage, which cannot be cheated. Another trick up their sleeve is called A Game of Chance. It's a Ca5 Wp duel and the winner gets to draw 2 cards and discard one. 5 is a rather poor initial value but then Neverborbn have ways of lowering that stat.

They are quite resilient as they are Hard to Kill and get Reactivate when they have 1 Wd left. Also, if you flip a crow when they get hurt, everyone within 2' suffers 2 damage. They also have a nice (0) ability called Creeping fog, which allows the Stitched Together to bring up a mobile 4' aura of soft cover around them.

Friday, 11 September 2015

The Neverborn half of the starter set is now painted. I have to admit, I was a bit put off when I first saw the 3d renders for these models. They seemed too simple compared to other recently released Wyrd miniatures. Despite my initial doubts, I enjoyed working with them. My color choices were based on the box artwork.

The Bloodwretches are really nice miniatures. Very dynamic, nicely detailed minis that do not resemble any of the other previously released models. They're basically human patients of Dr Grimwell's clinic who mutated into Neverborn and went mad in the process. The models reflect this story quite well.

They can be pretty decent scheme runners. They have a Wk of 6 and a Cg of 7 and ignore blasts. Their Df is solid (6) and they heal up to 2 damage after killing an enemy, which is good with their low wd of 5. Their claws have a solid Ml of 6 and good damage profile (2/3/5). They gain a + to attack flips if they charge. They also have a (1) action, which adds +1 damage and lets them draw 2, discard 1 card as long as they deal damage. This could work pretty well with a Fast from Dreamer (who is always hungry for cards), or Obey from Zoraida.

Angel Eyes, as a sniper, has a talent that is truly rare among the Neverborn. The miniature is really small and it was hard to get to all of the details, especially on the face. Many people seem to have a problem with Scion of the Black Blood and I can see why. The uninteresting T-pose is static, his fists look like they are a bit too large (even for a grown Nephilim), and the horns on his head which at first glance look like old wool hat at first glance. He also had a pose with his head raised up, which I didn't really like, so I repositioned it. This model took a little more effort but I think he turned out OK.

Angel Eyes is a Henchman. She has a Sh6 with 14' range threat. The damage track isn't that great, but she has two triggers to choose from, Critical Strike on a Ram and a free 3' push on Masks. There is also a (0) Sidearm Rg6 attack, which can come in handy in some situations. As I mentioned, she is a sniper and her eyes miss nothin, which means she doesn't randomize when shooting into an engagement (which is probably the main reason you want to hire her in a melee-oriented faction). She can also deal some damage in Ml with Teeth and Blackened Claws. Df of 6 and 8 Wd aren't much, but she heals 2 damage each time she kills an enemy model. Also, she's a Nephilim ---> Black Blood. As a Henchman, she gets one dedicated upgrade, which allows her to reduce by 1 to a minimum of 0 all damage suffered before activation.

Scion can be useful in many Neverborn crews due to one thing - the ability to remove conditions. All friendly models activating within 6' can discard two cards to end all conditions on them. That's a high price, but if it means that a key model will survive one more turn, it can make sense. Both his Ml and Sh attacks have a good damage spread and nice triggers, but the low initial value of 5 makes them far less impressive. Scion can make other friendly model (Rg10) take a (1) interact action. Those are interesting possibilities, but with 10 Wd and a low Df of 4, keeping him alive can prove challenging (though he does deal damage from Black Blood within 1' when he goes down).

Sunday, 6 September 2015

I've managed to put together and basecoat all my Gencon haul. The starter minis were very easy to put together, hardly any GS was used on them. The new Miss model is probably the best so far. Really great detail (well, maybe only the face seems a bit off...) and Abuela is 100% awesomasauce. It seems to me Wyrd is constantly improving their production process and the minis get better all the time.I'll probably paint some of these later this week.

As usual, I kept listening to audiobooks as I was painting and here are the three I listened to in August (well, the one about the Witcher was an actual book).

"To Kill a Mockingbird" has until recently been one of the most famous American classics that I haven't read (even though I had two semesters of American literature) as part of my university career. I was motivated to read it by the release of sequel and all the controversy that surrounded it. The novel is set in the years of the Great Depression of the 30's and takes place in a southern state of Alabama. The story is presented from young girl's innocent perspective as she recalls her early, careless years. The tone is mostly light and humorous, even though the novel deals with serious themes such as racial injustice. It offers very interesting insights into the American society of the south in early 30's. For me the narrative was the novel's greatest strength. Marked by innocence of Jean Louise, it is still witty and full of humor.

This novel was published 55 years after "To Kill a Mockingbird" and has caused a lot of controversy. The main reason is that the action takes place several years after the original novel as Jean Louise returns from New York to her hometown for her summer vacation. There are still many entertaining stories from her youth as she fondly remembers her childhood. However, now that she's known different style of life, her perception is changed and she sees many things differently. She gradually discovers that her childhood impressions were often shallow and she never really tried to understand the world around her. This confrontation of differing ideals is particularly intensive when she begins to question her father's dominating influence on her life.

I didn't really expect much from this novel as it was written years after the whole Witcher saga had been completed. It's got all that Sapkowski is known for, the Witcher, his good pal Dandelion, complicated romances with female sorceresses, dwarves, monsters, and court intrigues. Also, the language is really nice and the typical ironic comments made by the narrator and the Witcher can make all the fans feel at home. However, the story felt to me more like a set of quests from a game than a well thought-out plot. Things happen quickly and I had a feeling that many events were there just to add another twist to the story and thus force it to be a little longer. Still, it felt pretty nice to read another novel set in this universe and filled with those familiar characters.